


Dreams

by Tyranno



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, i made up a lot of stuff, im gonna finish this and immediately go to bed so if theres any glaring mistakes... rip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 16:43:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyranno/pseuds/Tyranno
Summary: It wasn’t dark, despite it being just past midnight. The dazzling street-lights, neon signs, bright windows and car headlights chased the nighttime away. Instead of starlight, Raheem was bathed in yellow streetlight, weaving in and out of dizzy, drunk pedestrians like a snake through grass. Umi had to jog to keep up.





	Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> fanfiction of 11thsense's characters. esp [this beautiful post](http://11thsense.tumblr.com/post/171402200420/have-you-any-dreams-youd-like-to-sell). 
> 
> I love em. Not only is she sweet and very talented, but one time I entered a contest of hers and lost, but she was so nice about it that even my fragile ego wasn't damaged. 
> 
> Anyway this is probably riddled with mistakes and confusing sentences, but as it strikes midnight i must make like cinderella and ditch y'all. Enjoy whatever you can read.

It wasn’t dark, despite it being just past midnight. The dazzling street-lights, neon signs, bright windows and car headlights chased the nighttime away. Instead of starlight, Raheem was bathed in yellow streetlight, weaving in and out of dizzy, drunk pedestrians like a snake through grass. Umi had to jog to keep up.

There was no such thing as night in down-town San Francisco, at least not with the company Umi kept—that was the first thing he had to get used to from the get go. There was no such thing as an unreasonable hour to jimmy the lock in Umi’s shitty apartment’s bathroom and throw the door open with a bang loud enough to wake the devil.

It hadn’t mattered that it was 1 AM. When Umi had mentioned the time, Raheem had just tilted his head, like he didn’t see Umi’s point. “You weren’t sleeping anyway, though?” Raheem had pointed out. Just because he was right didn’t mean it was any less annoying.

The pair crested the hill and the street stretched out ahead of them.

Neon signs blinked and blazed above doors on both sides of the road, nearly too bright to read. The sky was a deep, dark blue above their heads, almost dark enough to look normal. Umi pulled his jacket closer, wishing he’d brought a scarf, or at least a pair of gloves.

Raheem didn’t wait, crossing the street and ducking into a small alleyway. Umi broke into a shuffling half-run to keep up with him, painfully aware of how stupid he looked. He put on a burst of speed until he finally caught up with Raheem, snatching the other boy’s jacket.

“Do you mind telling me where we’re going?” Umi snapped.

Raheem stopped for a heartbeat, his wild eyes fixing Umi with an unreadable look. He pulled out of Umi’s grip and grabbed his hand instead, pulling him through the alley and out into another road that looked just like the last one.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Umi sighed, but let himself be dragged through the street. It wasn’t like he could find his way back now, anyway.

Raheem stopped suddenly, and Umi almost ran into him.

“What’s—” Umi started, but trailed off. They were outside a dingy looking coffee bar. It was on the hard corner of the street, the walls dark and unevenly coloured, the windows steamed up to the point where he could hardly see inside. Orange glowed through the windows, warm like something living.

But it was Raheem’s expression that made Umi pause. Raheem was hard to read at the best of times, but at the moment it had turned even stranger. The kohl around his bright, alien-blue eyes made his face look empty and dull. His thick eyebrows twitched and drew together, and his grip on Umi’s hands tightened slightly. Umi squeezed back.

Raheem turned to face him, and suddenly, a bright, wide smile split across his features. It was like the sun coming out. Umi relaxed.

“What’s with this place?” Umi asked, “We could have drunk coffee at my apartment, if you were that desperate.”

Raheem’s smile dimmed to something small and sly, and Umi had the uncomfortable feeling he’d said something stupid. Embarrassment curdled in Umi’s gut, and he pulled his hand out of Raheem’s, “What is it?”

Raheem’s sly smile slipped into something placating and he stretched to point at the top of the shop’s door. There was a cutting of a plant nailed above the door, hard to see unless you were looking for it, a woody brown stem with long, thin green leaves and bursts of yellow flowers like tiny pom-poms. “Acacia,” Raheem said.

Umi waited impatiently for an explanation.

Raheem pulled the tie out of his ponytail and his hair spilled over his shoulders like ink, so silky it looked almost wet. “It’s a herb that promotes protection, psychic and spiritual enhancement, money, platonic love, and friendship.”

“So…?” Umi folded his arms, “This shop’s owned by a hippie, then?”

Raheem’s quick smile flashed, “An _authentic_ hippy, shall we say?” He pushed the coffee shop’s door open.

Umi frowned, but followed after him.

Warm air hit Umi like a blanket, heavy with the bitter, comforting smell of coffee brewing and laced with an old, herbal smell like crushed thyme. It was so sudden and welcome, it felt like the previous week of sleepless nights had been scored from Umi’s mind. It was enough to make him stumble.

“Raheem!” A woman’s voice startled Umi back into the present. He stared around.

The coffee shop was small and square, bordered on every side with dark, lacquered wood. At the counter, a woman leaned over a small book, glasses pushed back into a spill of smooth black hair. She was smiling at them, and closed the book with a snap.

Raheem left Umi’s side and chose a stool in front of the counter. After a moment’s hesitation, Umi followed him.

“I was wondering when you were going to turn up,” The woman said, straightening up, “the request was a very delicate one, you know. If you don’t use it at the right time all my work would have been undone.”

Raheem shrugged, “You’d have gotten paid anyway.”

The woman shook her head dismissively, “No respect for the craft.” She pointed into the back room and Raheem nodded his thanks and followed her gesture.

In a moment, Umi was alone with the strange woman. He zipped up his jacket reflexively. He hadn’t had time to find a shirt before being bundled out of the house.

The woman turned her dark eyes on him. Her hair was thin, black and completely straight, hanging in dark sheets like slow running water. She looked Vietnamese, but the thick make-up made it hard to tell. She had high cheekbones layered with thick, yellow-gold make-up that shadowed her eyes and heavy earrings that winked when the light caught them.

She wasn’t human. Umi didn’t know how he knew, but some strange instinct noticed something his eyes didn’t. It was a feeling that set him on edge, a prickle in the base of his spine.

Umi couldn’t help but stare, trying to fit her into some kind of category. She definitely wasn’t a vampire—her teeth were too blunt—but she didn’t have the thick eyebrows and the shadowy-sideburns of a werewolf. Unless she had shaved them? No, she couldn’t have.

An incubus, then, like Raheem? No, it still didn’t fit, her eyes didn’t draw his gaze magnetically like Raheem’s did. None of her had the waxy visage of a glamour, so she wasn’t hiding wings, horns or a tail. Her ears were too rounded to be an elf—not that Umi had ever met one—but Umi didn’t know what that left him with.

The sense of wrongness with her, the sense that he should be wary of her but with no actual sense of _why_ was driving him mad. He was sick of this! He was sick of people refusing to be straightforward and he hated that everyone was so cryptic. It felt like he was constantly out of his depth.

“What are you?!” Umi snapped.

The woman started, and Umi recoiled, embarrassed. “No, I’m sorry,” Umi said, quickly, “I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry, I just—you’re not, well… you’re not human...”

The woman smiled, “I’m Lien.”

“What’s Lien?” Umi asked.

“Me,” Lien said, “it’s my name.”

“Oh,” Umi said, feeling thoroughly stupid, “I’m Umi.”

Lien pushed away from the counter, moving to one of the cupboards, “I thought you might be. You know, I’ve always thought Angie and Maria should adopt, I’m surprised it’s taken this long.”

“Oh, I’m not… really their kid,” Umi said.

“Really?” Lien tilted her head, “You know, in classical vampire culture, wardship of the bitten was very important. But I suppose times have changed. Less angry mobs with pickaxes these days, thank the Gods. Do you want coffee? Tea?”

“Just water please,” Umi asked. Lien nodded.

Umi rested his head on his wrist. It would be nice to have Angie and Maria as parents, especially since he couldn’t go back to his old life, but he couldn’t see it happening. The pair had just been so close for so long… they were almost too perfect for each other. They completed each other so well, their personalities intertwining so completely that there really wasn’t any space for Umi to fill.

Lien set a cool glass of water in front of him and sat back down. “Now,” she said, folding her arms, “what ails you?”

“What do you mean?” Umi frowned, taking a sip of water.

“Well, Raheem wouldn’t have brought you with him if he didn’t think I could help with something,” Lien said.

“I’m fine,” Umi said, frowning.

Lien watched him for a moment. “It’s only been a little over a year since you started your new life. There’s bound to be some hang ups left over.”

“Not really,” Umi said, defensively.

Lien brushed a sheet of hair behind her ear, frowning slightly. “I’m a witch.”

Umi blinked, “A witch? Like, a real one?”

“Yep,” Lien said, “I have a cure for everything. It doesn’t matter what the problem is.”

Umi fidgeted for a moment, “I’ve been having… dreams. I know Vampires don’t really have to sleep—but Maria said I should keep up the habit, just for a year or two. But these dreams...”

Lien nodded, and turned to pull a book from the shelf. She flipped through the pages quickly, looking for something.

“Can you do something about them?” Umi asked.

“What, dreams? Of course I can,” Lien said, “Do you have anything to offer me, though?”

Umi stared, “I… don’t have any money.”

Lien looked at him and sighed, “I can’t do it for free. The Gods know half of America owes me a damn favour. How busy are you?”

“Not that busy?”

“Good,” Lien said, “I have a list of errands to run. I’ll give you money for it, and it won’t take that long anyway.”

She passed a list of items. “That’s the full list. Come back here each night with the items and I’ll give you money for the next day.”

“This is a lot,” Umi said.

“That’s the discounted price,” Lien said, “and that’s only because I owe Angie some favours. Is it a deal, Umi?”

Umi folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. He nodded.

As if on cue, the door to the back-room burst open and Raheem strolled in, smiling warmly. “Lovely service as usual, Lien.”

“You almost look alive again,” Lien said.

Raheem grinned, devilishly and snatched Umi’s hand, pulling him away.

 

*

_Umi was trapped under a layer of ice a mile thick. It was as hard and unforgiving as stone, and no matter how hard he hammered on it, scrambling for purchase, the freezing water dragged him further and further from the hole where he’d fallen in._

_Panic scorched through his veins and he kicked out, every limb moving in a wild spasm. His chest was tight, like his ribs were being crushed. The cold was leeching every sense from him. Every hit against the ice sent him spinning._

_Umi knew he was dreaming—but the powerful, wild fear would not be silenced._

_The frozen, airless darkness was swallowing him up._

_He was dying._

_His chest burned, so hot it was like he had been hit by lightening. His ribs had broken, splitting like ceramic. It hurt so much no other thoughts could pass through Umi’s mind, his entire being reduced to the pain._

_He was dying._

_Blood was spilling over him, darker than he’d thought it would be, and hotter. It soaked through his school uniform, sticking his fingers together as he tried to put pressure on the wound. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t speak._

_He didn’t want to die._

_He could barely see, but he heard—a woman, a beautiful woman, with teeth like a viper but a smile like an angel, and she said…_

Umi woke up.

The apartment was silent, but his heart was hammering. Umi lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to regulate his breathing. The ceiling stretched above him and he followed the lumpy whitewash until his breathing returned to normal.

He reached a hand up and felt the unmarked skin between his fifth and six rib on his right side. Just over a year ago, it had a bullet wound. Now there wasn’t even a scar. Now his incisors were twice the size, and he hardly recognised his own smile.

Umi sighed and sat up. His pyjamas were soaked with sweat and he peeled them off with a grimace. Lien’s list was folded on his bedside and he glanced over it. He didn’t recognise any of the names of the herbs—he’d have to google them and try to figure out some kind of route that would get him everywhere before nightfall.

But first, a shower.

 

*

 

Umi was washing conditioner out of his hair when he heard it. One of the benefits of his transformation was his heightened sensed.

A huffing gasp, followed by scratching. It was outside his front door.

Umi shut the water off and pulled on a dressing gown, tying it tightly. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled a ceremonial knife from the wall and stalked toward the front door, keeping an eye on the exits.

After taking a moment to brace for an attack, he threw the door open.

A dog sat on his door mat.

Umi blinked down at it. The dog panted back. It was a golden retriever, and a dumb looking one at that, with big wet black eyes and a lopsided smile. Umi set the knife down and knelt, pulling the collar around until he could read the name.

 _I’m Tigger!_ , it read, _familiar of Lien Nyugen. Please be nice to me! Tel: xxx-xxx-xxxx_

Umi raised an eyebrow. The dog had a little backpack, which Umi unzipped to find a thick wad of cash and a letter. He unfolded it. It read: _Hi, Umi. This is Tigger. If you treat him well, he’ll be alright with you. He’ll take you to where you need to go. Try not to annoy him, he’s pretty dangerous when he’s angry. --Lien._ Umi looked back at the dog, who gave him another wide, guileless smile. He was even drooling a little. Umi would have to take her word for it.

He let Tigger inside and closed the door. His wet hair was starting to make him cold.

“I’m gonna go get dressed, okay, Tigger?” Umi said.

The dog ignored him.

 

*

 

Twenty minuets later, dressed and fed, Umi followed the dog down the streets of San Francisco on what was turning out to be a beautiful morning.

Umi hadn’t been out during the day for months. At first, he’d thought he couldn’t go out at all, but Angie had explained that he could, he just wouldn’t have any of his powers while the sun shined on him. Out of the sunlight, he was powerful, strange and unkillable. Most vampires stayed out of the sun because they wanted to stay that way.

It was nice. The sunlight cleared his mind like he’d washed his face in crystalline water.

Tigger dragged him past a park. The air smelled fresh and clean, and the trees rustled in the wind, green and very bright. Tigger nosed at a very large German Shepard, wagging his tail. The German Shepard cowered, tail between his legs, and darted off.

“How much longer is it?” Umi asked.

The dog ignored him.

The pair turned away from the park and padded down a side street. A girl in a long polka-dot dress made doe-eyes at Tigger, and Umi smiled at her, being careful not to show his long teeth. The girl blushed, and smiled back, waving.

Tigger led him down the road, before stopping outside a small, dark store.

“Is this it?” Umi asked, and checked the list in his pocket. The Dusty Dryad Herbs and Flowers. This was the place.

Tigger sat down next to the door and refused to move, so Umi fetched the money from the dog’s backpack and pushed inside.

The smell was what hit him first. It was a rich, earthy smell, full of life. It smelled like forest earth, of plant sap and pollen, leaf litter and healthy soil. Umi stood on the doorstep just breathing it in for a moment.

“Hello?” someone called. It was the shop assistant. He set the check book down and walked around the counter.

Umi blinked.

The shop assistant was beautiful.

He was a similar to age to Umi, with broad, flat cheekbones and smooth, flawless brown skin. His eyes were so dark it was hard to tell where the iris ended and the pupil began, and they were warm and soft. His hair was vibrant, dredlocks dyed a bright, bubblegum pink and tied back, leaving a few cute pink locks to fall over his eyes.

“Hello?” The shop assistant prompted.

“Oh,” Umi said, still a little blown away. He fidgeted a little with the ends of his sleeves. “I’m Umi.”

“Hi, Umi,” The shop assistant laughed a little, “are you looking for something specific?”

“Oh!” Umi blinked, “Yes, I am, actually.” He fumbled with his pockets and finally managed to retrieve the list. “It’s a lot of things, actually.” He passed the list to him.

As the shop assistant read, his expression switched into business mode, dark eyebrows drawing together. It crossed Umi’s mind that the other boy was still very cute, but luckily he didn’t see Umi’s blush.

When he had finished, the shop assistant rubbed his chin, thinking. “It’ll take a few days to order some of those in. It’s an odd selection, if you don’t mind me saying. What are you going to do with them?”

“Nothing,” Umi said, “I’m picking them up for a friend.”

“Some friend,” The shop assistant walked back to the counter, “this is going to rack up to quite a price.”

Umi padded the thick wad of cash in his pocket. It was a fair amount, but Umi had no idea how many of the long list of herbs it would cover. Surely Lien wasn’t expecting him to cover the rest himself? He sat in front of the counter, scratching the back of his head.

The shop assistant disappeared into a back room and returned with three stacks of brown paper wrapped packages. He set them carefully down on the counter. “This is what I can give you today,” he said, “I’ll order in some stuff and it should come in a few days. I’ll talk to the distributer about the rest.”

“Thanks,” Umi said, “How much does that come to?”

“$17.50,” The shop assistant said.

As he was digging out the money, an odd plant caught his eye. On the corner of the counter was a mug filled with a clean-smelling, feathery green plant. He rubbed the thin tendril and smelled his fingers.

“It’s Dill,” the shop assistant said, “It’s supposed to be for money, protection and good luck, but I haven’t noticed any change.”

“Are you a witch?” Umi asked.

The shop assistant laughed, “No! I don’t really believe in that stuff. Do you?”

“I’m starting to,” Umi smiled.

The shop assistant paused, and dug something out of his pocket. He tossed it to Umi.

Umi caught it. It was a string necklace with a smooth acorn hanging from it.

“It’s for good luck, wisdom, and personal power, apparently,” The shop assistant said.

“It’s pretty,” Umi said, and made to hand it back.

“No, you have it,” The shop assistant said, holding up his hands, “I don’t believe in it, so it feels really fake to wear it, but it could help you.”

Umi smiled, slipping the necklace over his head, “Thank you.”

“No problem,” The shop assistant said, “I’m Kel, by the way.”

Umi scooped up his herb packets, “See you tomorrow, Kel.”

 

*

 

Umi stepped back out into the sun.

“Umi!” Alex called. He was wearing a dark leather jacket, his untameable curls glowing in the sun. The first few scratches of a beard was showing around his jaw and he was holding an arm around his ribs.

“Alex,” Umi said, smiling “where’ve you been?”

“Some territorial stuff,” Alex said, shaking his head, “It’s just wolf business.”

“Did you get hurt?” Umi asked. He noticed a short cuff of bandages peaking out from under Alex’s jacket before he could hide them again.

Alex grunted non-committally, “What’re you doing out in the daylight, vampire? I thought you’d shrivel up.”

“Nah,” Umi said, stretching. One thing he liked about Alex was that the werewolf knew about as much about the supernatural as Umi did, which meant he wasn’t quite as shockingly out of his depth with him. “I just lose my powers.”

“Hmm,” Alex rubbed his chin, “Must suck to be vulnerable, huh?”

“It’s like being human again, I guess,” Umi said, “I’ve been human before. It wasn’t too bad.”

“You got shot,” Alex said, bluntly.

Umi nearly jumped. He shot Alex a glare.

Alex fell back a few steps and offered an awkward smile in lieu of an apology.

Umi shook his head.

Alex fixed Tigger, who had been following them diligently, with a glare, “That’s Lien’s familiar, isn’t it?”

“You know Lien?” Umi asked, frowning.

“Kind of,” Alex said, “her shop’s where Raheem hangs out sometimes. I only know the place because it’s where I look for him sometimes.”

“I see,” Umi said, “I’m doing an errand for her.”

Alex nodded, fixing Tigger with an odd look. He paused, and Umi stopped too.

“Did you want to see her? I’m going to her shop now,” Umi said, “Raheem might be there.”

“Nah,” Alex said, “I just don’t really like her, is all. She cheats sometimes.”

Umi shrugged, “See you later, then.”

“See you,” Alex said, turning back.

 

*

 

Umi woke like breaking through the surface of a freezing lake—long, difficult struggling, then sudden, blistering awareness.

It was dark. He panted hard, heart hammering. The dream clung to him still, like a lingering fever. The heat of his own blood over his chest. The pain. The awful, awful pain. He reached up to touch his unmarked chest, but instead his fingers found the smooth acorn.

He squeezed the hard seed between his fingers. It was so smooth it was almost soft, slippery under his sweaty hand. For about four minutes, he sat in bed, rubbing the acorn between his fingers, listening to the sounds of the city outside his window, the steady tick of his clock.

He dropped the acorn, feeling it bounce on his collarbone. Wisdom and personal power? He could use some of that.

 

*

 

Kel perked up when he heard Umi enter. “Back again?” He asked, smiling.

“Couldn’t stay away,” Umi said, taking the seat in front of the counter, “How have you gotten on with the list?”

“A fair amount,” Kel said, gesturing to the stacks of neatly wrapped packages, “The only thing left are the really rare stuff—it’s take another day or two to arrive—and the coriander. Your list specifies ‘hand-ground’ coriander and a lot of it, so it’ll take a while for me to grind all of it.”

“I can help,” Umi suggested.

Kel beamed, “That’d be great! I’ll get you the spare mortar and pestle.” He disappeared into the back room and returned with a jade-green mortar and pestle which he placed carefully on the counter. He tore off a clump of coriander and dropped it into the mortar.

Umi picked up the pestle and began to grind, “Are you the only person working here?”

“Mostly, yeah,” Kel sighed, “It used to be two per shift, but we downsized last year, which is funny because we’re upgrading soon. It’s a decent job, and once you learn it all, it’s easy too. It’s a big bonus that I always smell so nice after I finish.”

Umi smiled, “How long have you worked here?”

“Only a year or so,” Kel said. He scooped out the ground coriander and added it to the growing pile, “Do you have a job?”

“Not really,” Umi said.

Kel hummed, “You know, there’s going to be an opening here soon. We’re getting bigger, since we’ve closed our other location. You could come and work with me.”

Umi beamed, a light, warm feeling unfurling in his chest. “I’ll think about it.”

 

*

 

Lien’s coffee shop was warm as ever, a balm on Umi’s mind. He dumped the pile of packets on Lien’s counter while the witch gave her familiar big, sloppy kisses. Tigger’s tail wagged so fast it threatened to break the sound barrier.

“What’s left?” Lien asked, shifting through the packages.

“Just the rare stuff,” Umi said, taking big gulps of his water.

Lien hummed, putting the packages under the counter, “Nice necklace. You been seeing another witch?”

“No,” Umi covered the acorn quickly, “It was a gift, from a friend.”

Lien nodded, slyly, like she was sharing some private joke.

 

*

 

“Hey, Kel,” Umi said, pushing the Dusty Dryad’s door open. It was a little darker in the shop, but his sharp eyes adjusted immediately.

“Umi,” Kel smiled at him, “No such luck, unfortunately. The shipment will take another couple days.”

“That’s too bad,” Umi said, not sounding upset at all. He took his usual place in front of the counter, swinging his legs back and forth. “Do you have any more herbs for me to grind?”

“No,” Kel said, “I’m all done.” The shop assistant pulled at his apron for a moment, like he was trying to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Umi waited patiently.

“Hey so… the shipping can be a little unpredictable,” Kel said, slowly, “and it seems a shame to make you come all the way out here in order to check if they’ve come yet.”

Umi frowned, slightly.

“So, um...” Kel scratched the back of his neck, “could you give me your phone number, so I can text you when they come in?”

Umi perked up immediately.

“Just business stuff!” Kel clarified suddenly.

“Of course, just business stuff!”

“I won’t spam you or anything...”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, I don’t mind,” Umi said, inputting his number into Kel’s phone, “A little spam never hurt anyone.”

“Maybe not just business stuff, then?” Kel asked, shyly.

Umi beamed a smile so bright, it could have powered solar panels. “Maybe.”

 

*

 

Lien accepted the packages and piled them into her cupboard. Her coffee shop was unusually full than when Umi normally visited. A wide variety of people clustered around the tables, from an over-weight woman who looked like a librarian but had an impressive set of canines, to a Brazilian supermodel with coils of white hair that came down to his knees. One young woman had huge fluffy white bunny ears that skimmed the ceiling.

Lien restocked Umi’s money, grumbling about inflation and greedy herbalists, while Tigger’s tail thumped rythmically against the counter. Umi’s dangerous-not-human sense was going wild, prickling like a rash across his spine, so when Lien was done accounting, he took the money and left as quickly as he could.

 

*

 

Umi lay in bed.

His stomach was cold, and dread crawled over his skin. He knew he was in for another nightmare. Something had set him off again—some flash of his past, a remembered conversation, the sight of blood—and he would be in for a bad one. One he wouldn’t wake from in time.

Part of him didn’t want to even try to sleep. He’d done it before. It wasn’t good for his development to stay awake, but as a vampire there wasn’t the same inevitability about it. He had stayed up late, listening to the radio, reading, watching awful television, anything that would keep him occupied from the creeping, cold thoughts.

But, as the acorn around his neck reminded him, he was about personal power now. Wisdom. He’d forgotten what the other thing was.

He pulled the covers higher up, but changed his mind, shuffling them back down. He kicked his legs out, and settled them back in the same place.

His phone buzzed. Umi dived for it.

_**Unknown number: The main shipping’s been delayed again. I managed to scrape together enough buckeye root though.** _   
_**Unknown number: It’s Kel, by the way.** _

Umi input the number, smiling despite himself. A bubble of warmth was growing in his chest, and all the coldness was washed away. He tapped in a reply.

 

*

 

A week went by.

Umi spent his days finding excuses to spend long hours talking to Kel, helping him around the store, chatting first about herbs, then music, then anything that came to mind. It was easy and relaxing.

He spent his evenings delivering herbs to Lien, drinking her coffee and playing fetch with Tigger. The dog grew on him, and now he couldn’t help but dote on him as much as Lien did.

And at night, Umi dreamed of nothing.

 

*

 

“And… that’s the last package,” Kel said, reluctantly. He pushed the Chamomile towards Umi.

“Thanks,” Umi picked it up, and put five dollars in its place. He hung back, chewing the inside of his cheeks.

“Well,” Kel said, “I’ll be seeing you?”

“Yeah,” Umi said, “If I ever need any more herbs, I’ll come here.”

“Thanks,” Kel smiled.

Umi hovered in the doorway. “Bye, Kel.”

“Bye.”

 

*

 

“That’s the last,” Lien said, relieved. She tucked it under the desk. “Now, your reward.”

Umi was half-slumped over the counter, not really paying attention.

“Something to cheer your mood up, maybe?” Lien rolled her eyes, “You’re making me cry, kid. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Umi said.

“Are the dreams really bothering you that much?” Lien said.

Umi blinked, “I haven’t been having the dreams any more.”

“You haven’t?” Lien asked. She smiled, “Well, I thought so. That’s why I had you do the chores first. It took your mind off things, right? It wasn’t good to be spending so much time on your own. Now you can go do whatever you want.”

Umi smiled, tiredly.

 

*

 

It was the first day he wasn’t headed to see Kel. Instead, he had arranged to eat with Alex at Alex’s favourite burger joint. The seats were slightly sticky and the service was somewhat lacking, but it was worth it to see Alex tear through extra-rare burgers at an alarming rate. There was something incredibly impressive about seeing his viciously sharp teeth rend meat like it was tissue paper.

“So did the witch’s medicine work?” Alex said, after he had swallowed the huge chunk of meat he’d torn off.

“She didn’t give me any medicine,” Umi said, “The errands were the medicine, apparently. I got better on my own.”

Alex shot him a flat look, “That’s bull. Can you believe that—getting you to run around like a lapdog doing her job for her and then saying she’d doing you a favour? That’s what I call cheating.”

Umi hummed, taking a sip of his milkshake. He was feeling more awake than he had in months, and he knew that when he checked his phone he’d have a dozen or so messages from Kel. If Lien was cheating… he couldn’t bring himself to think badly of her.

 

*

 

Kel perked up when he heard the shop door open. “Umi!”

Umi smiled, big and bright, wide enough to show his long canines, “Is the job position still open?”

“Yes!” Kel beamed, nearly dropping the stack of forms because of how fast he dived for them.


End file.
